Labour Court recommends fresh review of adjudication officers’ pay claim

The Labour Court recommended that the Department Of Enterprise, Trade, And Employment prepare a fuller business case on the pay and related claims of 31 External Adjudication Officers. The recommendation was dated 22 August 2024. The officers sought an increase to their daily rate and changes to writing-up days and fall days. The Department said the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform had refused sanction for a proposed rate increase because the case lacked sufficient evidence. The Department Of Enterprise, Trade, And Employment did not attend the hearing. The Court recommended a full analysis of whether 48 writing days a year were enough, how the fall-days system operated and whether to change the daily rate, which had not changed since January 2019. It recommended completing the work within three months so the Department could submit a fresh business case. The Court did not recommend a specific pay increase.